FROM

A PETA eyewitness exposé reveals that Canada Goose’s down assurances
are all wet.

Take Action Now

Please urge Canada Goose to stop selling down immediately, and let the
company know that you won’t buy any of its products until it does so.
With
so many humane, warm materials available today, including PrimaLoft,
Thinsulate, ThermoBall, and Plumtech, there’s no excuse for using down.

As if it weren’t bad enough for outerwear company Canada Goose to use
fur trim from coyotes caught in steel traps and shot or bludgeoned to death,
we now know that the company is filling its jackets with down from abused
birds.

A PETA eyewitness exposé of a Canada Goose down supplier reveals that
workers rounded up panicked geese, grabbing and carrying them by the neck,
as they struggled with their entire weight hanging from their necks, and
crammed them into densely packed cages for transport to slaughter. After a
trip from the farm to the slaughterhouse lasting over five hours, the geese
watched, terrified, as others right in front of them were shackled and
killed—until it was their turn.

Canada Goose misleads the public by claiming that the birds it uses for down
get freedom from fear, pain, distress, and physical discomfort. The company
tells customers that it is “deeply committed” to the “ethical sourcing of
all animal materials”—but it’s a lie. See for yourself what really happens
to birds used to make Canada Goose down-filled jackets and help stop this
abuse.

Gasping for Air and Shrieking in Distress

To make it faster to round up the geese for transport to slaughter, they
were herded into small wire pens, where they visibly panicked and trampled
each other. Geese on the bottom of the pile were crushed. At least one died,
and a worker tossed the dead bird over the fence.

These distressed geese are climbing on top of each other in panic and fear,
and some even suffocate.

Grabbed and Carried by the Neck

After the geese were confined to the pens, workers started grabbing them
by the neck—often two in each hand—and hauling them to transport crates, as
they shrieked and flapped their wings in distress. One worker repeatedly
stepped on some geese while reaching for others. Then they were crammed into
the crates with such force that the cages can be heard clanging in the
video.

Confined to Cramped Cages for Up to 24 Hours

The birds were crammed into cages so small that they were unable to hold
their heads up even while sitting. A veterinarian who viewed the footage
said, “Being confined to these small crates for prolonged periods would
cause painful muscle cramping, unnecessary stress, and predispose anxious
birds to injury.” After a trip down the highway to the slaughterhouse
lasting over five hours, some geese were left in the feces-covered crates
for up to 24 hours without food or water.

Watching in Terror as Others Are Shackled and Killed

The Canada Goose supplier featured in the exposé—James Valley Colony
Farms—sends geese to Schiltz Foods in South Dakota—the largest goose
slaughterhouse in North America—a grueling five- to six-hour journey, often
in frigid temperatures.

Once they had been unloaded for slaughter, the geese watched, terrified, as
other frightened birds were again grabbed by the neck, stunned, shackled
upside down by the legs, and killed right in front of them when workers cut
their throats. Then it was their turn. A PETA observer saw that some birds
flapped their wings and moved their heads as they bled out. A veterinarian
who watched the video footage believes these birds “are showing signs of
consciousness and sensibility”—meaning that the birds were awake as they
choked, suffocated, or died of blood loss or shock, “an extremely painful
and anxiety provoking condition.”

Why Do They Have 'Red Elbows'?

A PETA observer documented that about half of the birds from Canada
Goose’s supplier had bruises on their wings—or even broken bones or
dislocated joints—when they were being butchered. When the observer asked
why the birds had “red elbows,” a supervisor at the slaughterhouse
responded, “from putting them in the cages.”

What You Can Do to Help

Every time someone purchases a Canada Goose down-filled jacket or any
down-filled product, they could easily be supporting the horrors that you
see in this video and worse. PETA has filed a complaint with the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission and Canadian Competition Bureau for deceiving
customers regarding the welfare of geese used for down in the company’s
products. If you feel that you were misled into purchasing a Canada Goose
product by the company’s claims of “[e]thically sourced down and fur” and
“humane treatment” of animals used for its coats, please e-mail us your
story at [email protected].

The best way to help geese suffering right now is not to buy anything
containing down. Canada Goose could easily ditch down today—urge the company
to do just that!

Take Action Now

Please urge Canada Goose to stop selling down immediately, and let the
company know that you won’t buy any of its products until it does so. With
so many humane, warm materials available today, including PrimaLoft,
Thinsulate, ThermoBall, and Plumtech, there’s no excuse for using down.

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